


I Need to See You

by scorched_wings



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Bad Parents, Canon Compliant, Caring, Caring Mickey Milkovich, Child Abuse, Comfort, M/M, Mentioned Monica Gallagher, New Relationship, Season 1, domestic abuse, implied sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24187900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorched_wings/pseuds/scorched_wings
Summary: '"I’ll meet you there in twenty." It was a promise Mickey hoped he could keep.Stupid, really, to even offer, with Terry in a mood like this.'We follow Mickey's perspective after Ian turns up shaking on his doorstep in S01E09. While Ian is reeling from his absent mother unexpectedly returning to the South Side, we get an insight into life with Mickey's only too present father. Non-graphic child abuse. Mickey risking his own safety to take care of Ian.
Relationships: Colin Milkovich & Mickey Milkovich, Ian Gallagher & Monica Gallagher, Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Iggy Milkovich & Mickey Milkovich, Mickey Milkovich & Terry Milkovich, Terry Milkovich & The Milkoviches
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	I Need to See You

‘I’ll meet you there in twenty.’ It was a promise Mickey hoped he could keep.

Stupid, really, to even offer, with Terry in a mood like this. Even as Mickey turned back into the room, his father directed his yelling on to him. There was no point lying about who it was, he couldn’t risk being caught out. Thank god Mandy was friends with the Gallagher kid, too. No, not ‘too.’ Mickey carefully avoided eye contact just the right amount, and kept his fists unclenched. Terry didn’t like it if you seemed too afraid of him - or not afraid enough. Iggy and Colin were sprawled just within swatting distance, studiedly casual, but Mickey knew they were poised to duck. He was expected to retake his seat beside them. He wondered whether Terry would be more pissed off if he sat and then left, or if he didn’t sit at all. His heart felt bruised from hammering against his ribcage. It would take about ten minutes from here to get to the Kash and Grab, if he took it at a light jog.

Terry was staring at him. The sudden silence seemed to ring in the air. Then, dangerously quiet, ‘What’s wrong, Mickey?’

Mickey briefly met his gaze, then glanced down, scrambling for an excuse. He kept himself from thumbing his nose, knowing his father hated the tick. His shoulder still ached from this morning, when he hadn’t coughed up as much money as expected. It would be so much easier just to take a seat, reply ‘Nothing.’ He wrestled with the image of Gallagher’s wide, scared eyes - _I don’t know where else to go._

Only two breaths had passed, but Mickey knew he was being too slow. ‘Was thinking of how to get you the rest of that cash.’ He could sense his brothers wince as he brought up his earlier failure. 

Terry’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Oh really?’ Mickey forced himself not to back away. ‘So you think now’s a good time to do that?’ He gestured as though the tense atmosphere were visible. 

Mickey took a risk and summoned up a jokey tone. ‘Might cheer ya up, da.’

Absolute stillness. Mickey could smell his brothers fear, and his own. Terry walked slowly towards him and pushed him back, slamming his head on the wall. For a moment he paused, staring his son down. Then he shoved him to the ground. ‘It had better be at least two hundred.’

And then, somehow, Mickey was free. Step by step he made it out of the house and out of sight down the street, moving like in a dream. He could taste blood. He shook himself, quietly disgusted by his own fear, and then set off at a run towards the store. 

—

Barrelling through the door, he finds Ian frozen behind the register, in somewhat bizarre contrast to Mickey’s motion. He catches himself on one of the shelves, chest heaving, dimly embarrassed of how clear it is that he ran here. Now that he’s here he finds he doesn’t know what to do. 

‘So what’s up?’ he asks in the end.

Ian opens his mouth, but doesn’t speak for a long moment. Then - ‘My mum-’

Mickey waits for him to go on, but he doesn’t. ‘I thought she wasn’t around?’

‘She wasn’t.’

‘She’s back?’

‘Debs saw her. At Sheila’s. Looked like she’d seen a ghost when she told us, poor kid.’ He is trying to smile. 

‘Why is she here?’

‘No idea. I’m sure it won’t be for long.’

A strange fierceness lodges itself in Mickey’s chest. He tries to keep his voice calm. ‘She doesn’t deserve you.’

Ian looks away for a long breath. ‘It’s a complicated thing.’

Mickey is grateful not to have to meet his eye when he finally answers, simply, ‘Yeah.’ He can feel Ian’s eyes on him, then, burning his skin, but he stares out the window as though he hasn’t noticed. He feels oddly heavy. He wishes it had been something he could fix by beating someone up.

‘You gonna go round there?’ he asks.

‘Probably.’

Mickey nods slowly.

‘Look, can we just - not talk about it?’ He catches Mickey’s eye, making it instantly clear what he means. 

Mickey conjures a cocky grin, and goes to lock the door, flipping the open/closed sign with a familiar motion. ‘Sounds good to me, Gallagher.’ He should be relieved that this is all Ian wants from him. And isn’t this what he himself does, coming to Ian to lose himself, to forget, to drown aches and bruises with new sensations?

When he turns back Ian has skirted the counter and is leaning back against it, gripping it white-knuckled as though he’s afraid he might fall. Mickey is gently mortified to realise that he’s trying not to cry, and he looks away politely. After a moment, he crosses to lean beside him, staring straight at the crates of fruit, and clasps the younger boy’s shoulder firmly. He feels him tense up, and then soften again. They are both silent. There is nothing to say. Ian leans towards him slightly, but not too much, hesitant and careful, and Mickey finds he despises himself.

Eventually, Ian picks Mickey’s hand up off his shoulder, and keeps hold of it, leading him towards the storage room. He follows, step by step.

**Author's Note:**

> I would have loved to have seen more of Ian and Mickey's interactions between their conversation on the Milkovich house front steps and getting caught by Kash. Let me know what you think of this imagining.
> 
> Also, as an English person it pained me using Americanisms in this story, but I wanted to at least try to write how Mickey would think. Never say I don't suffer for my art!


End file.
